Newsroom

New, screen-printed, flexible MRI coils may be able to reduce the amount of time it takes to get an MRI scan. Researchers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have developed light and flexible MRI coils that produce high quality MRI images and in the future could lead to shorter MRI scan time periods.

A team form the University of California San Diego has developed a flexible wearable device that measures both electrical heart signals and levels of lactate, a chemical that correlates with physical exertion, at the same time. It also beams the data to a nearby device using Bluetooth. Read more in GIZMODO.

Researchers have developed a new method for preparing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that not only leads to the production of more native stem cells, but also labels them with a FDA approved iron-oxide nanoparticle (Ferumoxytol). The technology could allow researchers to track the cells in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during preclinical and clinical trials. Read more at Carnegie Mellon University News.

Researchers have stabilized blood samples for long periods of time without refrigeration and at high temperatures by encapsulating them in air-dried silk protein. The technique has broad applications for clinical care and research that rely on accurate analysis of blood and other biofluids. Read more at TuftsNow.

To study certain aspects of cells, researchers need the ability to take the contents out, manipulate them, and put them back. Now, researchers describe a 'nanoblade' that can slice through a cell's membrane to insert mitochondria. The researchers hope to commercialize the nanoblade for wider use in bioengineering. Read more at UCLA Newsroom.

Scientists at MIT, Massachusetts General Hospital, Living Proof, and Olivo Labs have developed a new material that can temporarily tighten skin, and smooth wrinkles. It could also be used to deliver drugs to help treat skin conditions such as eczema and other types of dermatitis. Read more at MIT News, and in The New York Times.

Collaboration between two National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)-funded labs has revealed a promising new method for identifying atherosclerotic plaques, the encased deposits in arteries that restrict blood flow and can lead to heart attack or stroke. The technique combines two different types of imaging, allowing for an unprecedented combination of depth and detail. The hybrid technology will provide doctors with a better diagnostic tool for identifying particularly problematic plaques.

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have developed a device with the potential of shortening the time required to rapidly diagnose pathogens responsible for health-care-associated infections from a couple of days to a matter of hours. Read more at Massachusetts General Hospital.